The FA’s Technical department under Director Dan Neville have yet another feather to add to their cap, following the news that FIFA has approved the Talent Development Scheme application.

The Programme, a worldwide initiative headed by Arsene Wenger, involved the FA submitting a budgeted plan for developing youth football and according to Neville is great news “it will allow us to power up our National Academy that will hopefully give young players something to strive for in the Territory, and will also produce not only National team players of the future, but players with a life long love of the sport to benefit our National League as well.”

The news comes hot on the heels of 43 players taking place in the last open trials for National Academy selection.

“The pyramid has three objectives now in place” confirmed Neville “it’s a long-term project that will benefit all players and build a sustainable pathway to National teams’ levels. Top players will go into the Academy, the next tier will go into the Development Centre and finally the players on the fringe will continue to be monitored through a scouting system.”

The National Academy is an elite environment, where the best will be up against the best, The scouting network includes watching players at grassroots levels such as BDO schools Leagues.

If you haven’t been chosen or selected yet, the door as Neville concluded, is not closed yet, so all players should keep working hard.